Conventional dermabrasion devices and techniques generally involve removal of an entire surface layer of skin tissue using mechanical means (for example, a rotating diamond head). Such techniques can produce a rejuvenating effect on the skin, but they generally require an extended healing time (during which the skin appears red and irritated) and may be very painful.
Procedures and devices for generating fractional damage in tissue are gaining increased attention and usage. Fractional damage includes forming small regions of damage in tissue (e.g., ablation or thermal damage) that are surrounded by healthy tissue. The small size of the damaged regions and proximity of healthy tissue can facilitate rapid healing of the damaged regions, as well as other desirable effects such as tissue shrinkage. Present approaches for generating fractional damage typically involve the use of expensive and potentially dangerous lasers or other sources of intense optical energy to damaged tissue, and can also generate associated thermal damage in the tissue which may be undesirable.
Accordingly, there is a need for a relatively simple, inexpensive, and safe dermabrasion method and apparatus that can reduce or eliminate some of the undesirable side effects of conventional dermabrasion procedures.